Ball-and-socket joint.



No. 826,606. -PATENTBD JULY 24, I906. W. V0N PITTLER. BALL AND SOCKETJOINT.

APPLICATION rum: 110121; 1905.

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Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented July 24, 1906.

Application filed November 21, 1905. Serial Ho. 288,425. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM VON PITT- LER, engineer, a subject of theKing of Prussis, German Em eror, residin at Berlin, in Prussia, in t eEmpire of Germany, have invented certain newand useful Improvements inBall-and-Socket Joints, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact specification.

M invention reiates to and has for its object all-and-socket joints inwhich U-sha ed pieces or bows at right angles to one snot er grip aspherical connectm -piece, so that each bow drives or is driven y theother, re spectively;

Ball and socket joints are which are provided with two U-shaped piecesor bows having a transverse section approximately square placed at rightangles to one another. These bows grip in places cut away municate itsmotion to or be driven by the the shafts are rotated.

other. In the manufacture of hall-and-socket joints these hows arefitted exactly into the spherical connection-piece, so that they take upa concentric position with regard to their connecting-piece in each(position into which no of the great obactions to ball-and-socket jointsof this kind, owever, is that as soon as such a ball-andsocket jointtransmits power by being re-,

volved wearing takes place on theinner surfaces of each bow and thesurfaces of the rejoint is trio position of the bows with regard to thecentral connectin piece is alwa s maintained in a ball-an -socket ointof t e abovedescribed kind. I attain this purpose in my newball-and-socket joint by arranging balls between the sliding faces ofthe bows,through which ower is transmitted, and the sliding faces 0 theconnecting-piece, which faces can slide relatively to one another. Theconcentric position in my improved ball-and-socket anteed, owin to thecells being always 'eid by means 0 the working presan known s? tion otwo shafts coves in a s heric'al connecting-piece, an each 13 cause torevolve with and 66135:

sure in the deepest part of the grooves, which in transverse section arecurved and. are for the reception of the balls, and the shape of thegrooves, which in transverse section is curved, is always retained inthe wear-andtear of the grooves.

Another object of my invention isito reduce the friction between thebows and the connectingiece, whichis attained in consequence of t earrangement of the balls in a balLand-socket joint of theabove-described kind.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a 'hali and-socket joint embodyingmy inven: .tion.

i i the oint. 7 Fig. 2 is a transverse section Fig. 3 shows the comes bymeans of two joints and an intermediate shaft. Fig. 4 shows anothermethod of constructin the joint.

Similar letters of re erence refer to similar parts in aii views.

Both the shifts at b, Fig. 1, to be joined to one anotherare providedwith two-part bows c cl, which are ab e to slide in eutsor channels ef,placed at ninety degrees from one another in a sphericalconnecting-piece g. In the exam Is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which theshe. s a b revolve in one direction only, aside face of the parts of thebow which clas round the connecting piece 9 is 7 provide with a grooveh, and ikewise each opposing face of the channels eff of theconnectingiece g is provided wit a similar groove 1-.

ese grooves 11 i are on those faces through which the power istransrriitted. Balis is are arran ed between the grooves h 'i, whichbails are he (1 in their osition on the one hand b means of the en 1,Fig. 1, of the coves and on the other hand by means 0 the setscrews m.It is better that the balls is do not perfectly fill the grooves k, asshown in Fig. 1, so that the are not able to get jammed at the ends I oft e grooves. On account of the centrifugal force the balls k are held inthe position as shown in Fig. 1. The part cut away or cavity a in theconnecting-piece g ailows the set-screws m to be taken out and the oailsi: to be chan ed. hen being worke the deepest part of the grooves it i,which are curved in transverse section by means of the workin pressure,so that the concentric positions the bows c d with regard to theconnesting-piece g is always observed, and the lithe joint.

e 1 is a longitudinal section through the balis are held in shape of thegrooves, which in transverse section is curved, is retained in thewearing of the grooves.

Fig. 3 shows the connection of two shafts a with their axes lyingparallel to one another revolving in one direction only by means of twoball-andsocket joints of the above-described kind and an intermediateshaft b.

In the example shown in Fig. 4 balls 70 are arranged on both sides ofthe bows "(1 between these bows-and the connecting-piece g. i Thisarrangement is suitable for the case when the shafts a b revolve in anoptional direction.

The shape of the grooves, which intransveree section is curved, may bealready rovided in manufacture or first be formed by wear and tear.

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. In abaILand-socket 'oint, the combina tion of a substantially sp 'ieriealconnecting piece, two bows therein disposed substantially at rightangles to each other, and balls between the power-transmitting faces ofthe bows and the corresponding facesof the connecting-piece.

2. In a ball-and-socket 'oint, the combinetionof a substantially sperioal connectingpiece, two bows therein disposed substantially at rightangles to each other, and balls between the power-transmitting faces ofthe bows and the corres ondin faces of the connectingpiece, the aces othe connectingpieirlze or bows having grooves to retain the 3. In aball-and-sockefloint, the combinationof a substantially spy ericalconnectingpiece, two bows therein disposed substantially at right anglesto each other, and balls between the power-transmitting faces of thebows and the eorresfpondi faces of the connectingpiece, the aces o theconnectingpieee having ooves curved in cross-section to retain the alls.

'4'. In a ball-and-socket 'oint, the combinationof a substantially-s11rical connectingpiece, two bows therein disposed substantially at rightangles toeaoh other, and balls between the poweetransmitting faces ofthe bows and the corresponding faces of the connecting-piece, saidconnecting-piece being cut away to permit the removal of the balls.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILHELM VON PITTLER.

Witnesses:

JoHANNEs HEIN,

HENRY HASPEB.

